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The left back sat down on the pitch shell shocked at the decision for a good 45 seconds in the aftermath as he realised he would be likely to miss out on the Wembley showpiece.

It took a while for the decision to arrive, it seemed as though Chris Kavanagh was about to book Antonio for diving to try and win the free kick before after having a quick conversation with his linesman, brandished the red card for the Watford defender.

A rule change earlier this season saw the suspensions for yellow cards relaxed between domestic competitions.

Red cards were not affected by the ruling.

Speaking after the game, manager Javi Gracia said the club will certainly be appealing the red card.

"For sure," he said.

"If that contact, with one player like Antonio, was a foul then there were lots of fouls during the game and all of the season. I cannot even think about that situation [missing the cup final]."

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